Lights on the Lake

"Run!"

The group of friends including Alana ran quickly through a field being chased by a very large, and very angry turkey. Alana couldn't stop laughing as the angry bird flapped it's wings and ran full force behind their feet. It was another task on the list, to go to the nearest wild turkey reserve which was only ten minutes away, where they had to sneak up on one, grab it and take a picture. They all thought it was going to be a piece of cake, until the turkey they found decided that it hated the flash of the camera and started to attack them viciously. It pecked at Weezer's legs when they all decided to make a run for it.

The group sprinted around a corner and hopped over the fence of the reserve and to their car that was parked on the side of the road. They immediately got in and looked over at the turkey who stood behind the gate. It loudly gobbled a few more times before it turned and huffed away. They all sat in the car breathing heavily, except Weezer who was laughing hysterically.

"I can't believe that just happened!" He said happily as he rested his head backward in the seat. Alana clutched her stomach, which was still in knots from going in between laughter and fright.

"Poor little turkey probably thought it was Thanksgiving and freaked out," Leo said as he sat behind the wheel of Mackenzie's car after offering to drive. He pulled onto a dark windy road that led back to the interstate and started driving back into the main town. "How much more do we have, Mac?" He asked, his eyes looking straight forward.

"Let's see," She said and scanned the sheet of paper with the tasks. "We took the shot with Pete, sort of, we stole five dollars in quarters from the fountain downtown, we got Weezer to eat a worm and Abigail to eat a chocolate covered cockroach thanks to our lame town for actually selling them at the grocery store- I mean really, ew - and we convinced Joe Hawking to let us buy one of his fireworks and then set it off. So basically, that leaves us at two more, the simplest one, catch a fish in the lake, and then kiss a stranger."

"And we all know that I am up to both of those challenges," Weezer said confidently. "Fishing all my life with my dad and also being a boy who hasn't got any action in what seems like forever will help me with both of those tasks."

The group laughed as Leo finally got back to the lake, where they pulled off to the side and got out of the car. They all walked down a small ditch and onto a trail that led them to the dock where Weezer's father's boat was held. He grabbed a fishing pole from the boat and walked to the end of the very long dock and started putting on the bait. Abigail and Mackenzie followed him, leaving Alana and Leo standing awkwardly next to one another.

"It's hard to believe that only a few days ago you almost killed me on this lake," Alana said with a somewhat light tone, breaking the silence. Leo exhaled in response and put both of his hands behind his head and stretched.

"Yeah and I'm still recovering from that bitch-slap you gave me," He replied and sat down on the side of the dock. He took his shoes off and placed them next to him and then stuck his feet into the cold water. Alana awkwardly sat down next to him, leaving a large space in between the two and then did the same. The cold water hit her toes and she shivered.

"You know you deserved it," Alana stated and then stared in front of them, where all that could be seen was the shore and the surrounding trees blowing in the wind. "It's also hard to believe that after that incident, I'm still willing to be even ten feet near you."

"Ah, there have been plenty of things I've done to you where after you thought the same thing," Leo retorted. "Like me putting gum in your hair in the 6th grade, or pretending to ask you to Homecoming."

Alana flinched and thought back on the memory as if it was still fresh in her mind. It was their sophomore year of high school, right after the summer that she asked Leo if he thought she was pretty. She still had some strange animosity toward him, and she never told a soul about his response to her that night. She didn't even think he remembered that conversation ever taking place but she sure did. Alana considered that it was the alcohol talking and not him, but that small ounce of hope that Leo wasn't as much of a jerk was hanging from a limb.

That was until Leo walked up to her about two months into the school year as she was putting books away at her locker. He just stood there and stared at her until his presence was known and Alana looked up at him.

"Listen, a lot of people are going to the dance and everything, and I really think it'd be a good idea if we went together. Our height to height ratio is pretty solid and I think you'd look pretty decent in a dress, so what do you say?" He asked, trying to be as confident as possible. Alana's eyes widened at his proposal, she had already been asked by another boy named James Pedasky, an average looking, yet nice guy in the year above her. She had said yes, but now that Leo was asking her, someone she always secretly dreamed would ask her to a dance, and now she didn't know what to do.

"I... um.." Alana said hesitantly, her mind going back and forth "Yeah, sure, that sounds fun."

A smile formed on Leo's face, his teeth freshly straight from years of braces. And instead of saying 'Great, thanks, can't wait!' or anything related to that, he cupped his hands over his mouth as if he was about to shout something while Alana scrunched her eyebrows in confusion.

"See Pedasky, I told you she wasn't interested! She said yes to me even though she already said yes to you!" He yelled across the courtyard of the school for almost everyone to hear. Alana, shocked, whipped around to see James face fall into a scowl as he turned and walked away with his friends.

Now, the much older Alana and Leo sat next to each other on the dock and Alana closed her eyes, trying to repress that memory.

"You always had the great ability to ruin my happiness," She said bitterly and threw a small rock she found into the water, it skimmed a few times before sinking down and disappearing.

"Oh please, as we all later found out, James Pedasky dealt marijuana and his parents sent him off to boot camp for a year, so I did you a favor," Leo replied with a small smirk. "Plus, it was always hilarious to see the guys you picked out. I mean, Pedasky was okay, but Ellis Grape, seriously?"

"Ellis was incredibly nice to me, actually, something you never were," Alana snapped back and stood up from her sitting position. She started to slip her shoes on when Leo stood up net to her.

"Come on, I was just joking, there's no need for you to start freaking out," Leo said, his tone holding amusement. "You have to admit though, Ellis was kind of a pansy."

"He was not!" Alana almost yelled, which made Leo grin even wider.

"He had a yellow pocket watch," Leo retorted. "What respectable guy owns a pocket watch, let alone a freaking yellow one?"

"Just shut up, Leo," Alana replied as she slipped on her shoes. "Don't even get me started with all the stupid girls you've been involved with."

Suddenly, there was a loud cheer from the end of the dock and Alana saw Weezer triumphantly reeling in a flopping fish, it's body flailing left and right. Abigail and Mackenzie cheered Weezer on as he pulled it in.

"For your information, the girls I have dated have all been amazing," Leo said, accentuating the last word just to make Alana cringe. She turned toward him and rested one of her hands on her hips.

"Oh yeah?" She asked and took a step toward him. "Try to keep thinking that whenever you see Kelly Paltron."

Leo stayed silent, almost as if Alana's comment was a slap in the face and he didn't quite know how to react to it. Before he could say anything in return, Alana shot him a dirty look and made her way to the front of the dock to congratulate Weezer.



Mackenzie was almost in tears as the group of them solemnly walked back to Yohan's house later that evening, feeling defeated. It was only two minutes to twelve and none of them could actually find a stranger to kiss, which Alana thought was pretty hilariously sad. Did they seriously live in that small of a town where they couldn't even find a stranger? Was the town seriously that small?

Unfortunately, yes.

"Yohan's a smart guy," Weezer said as they opened the side gate. "He knew that we wouldn't find strangers roaming around Vedleu on a Monday night. Stupid genius Asian boy." He muttered and Abigail reached up and patted him on the back as they walked through the backyard where many people were already back, mostly all of them looking just as defeated as they were, which meant that they hadn't completed all of the tasks either.

Alana looked over at Mackenzie, who was still quiet. Mackenzie was always the competitive one. In middle school, another girl scored the winning goal in a game of soccer and then after the game was over, walked up to Mackenzie to congratulate her on a good game. That girl ended up with an elbow to the face and a bloody nose as Mackenzie angrily ran off of the field. She called her competitive streak the thing that kept her alive. Leo tried to convince her that it actually kept others dead or injured. She didn't quite understand.

"Look, Mac, don't even worry!" Alana encouraged as they sat down on the grass next to a fire pit that Yohan had set up. More and more people were returning, all laughing and having a great time. "Red Lobster isn't even that good anyways."

Mackenzie laughed and rested her head on Alana's shoulder as Yohan stood up in front of everyone. People cheered, excited to hear who won the scavenger hunt and Yohan stretched his arms out to quiet them down.

"I can honestly say that there has never been a scavenger hunt like the one we had tonight!" Yohan yelled and a few more people cheered. "And sadly, I don't mean that as a good thing. No one completed all of their tasks." There was a buzz in the crowd and a few people high-fived. "So congrats, guys! We are officially all losers!"

Everyone cheered and some raised their drinks in the air as people then dispersed and began to go inside Yohan's house for drinks and food. Alana laughed as music started playing from some speakers and she pulled Mackenzie up. Alana did an obnoxious pelvic thrust with the music, causing Mackenzie to laugh and Alana knew that everything was going to be fine, and the scavenger hunt wasn't really about winning anyways, it was more about the experience of trying to win.

The rest of the night continued like it was supposed to. Almost half of the people there got shitfaced and laid around or danced in circles around the fire pit. Couples were taking romantic walks down the block, away from the music where you can hear the crickets of the quiet town chirping. Abigail introduced Alana to her new boyfriend, Jason, a 6'3'' brunette guy that towered over Abigail and Alana couldn't stop thinking of the fact that it looked like he was kidnapping her every time he stood next to her. She didn't say any of that though, and instead smiled and shook his hand while she sipped punch from the neverending spiked punch bowl that was located in the back of the house.

She hadn't seen Leo at all since they arrived a few hours ago and Alana couldn't help but feel odd not knowing where he was. He was always the life of the party, but now at this party he was nowhere to be seen, and that weirdly irked her. She kept pouring more punch in her cup and stood off to the side as she watched her old group of friends conversing with people from her high school. No one tried to approach Alana, instead most just stared and walked past her, like she was a virus that they didn't want to catch. She understood, when you left a town you grew up in, especially a town so small that there weren't such things as strangers, people were going to talk and wonder why you left. Then those talks would turn into rumors and soon enough Alana was a pregnant prostitute who left because she needed to meet up with the father to have the baby. It was absurd, but people believed it, and obviously didn't even bother to try to get the truth from the girl herself now that she was back in town.

She watched her friends as they continued to mingle with others and she couldn't help but feel angry at the sight of them. Maybe it was jealousy, maybe it wasn't, but something inside her felt angry that they could just pop right back in with their old friends like the three years since high school never happened, but here was Alana, standing off to the side getting drunk by herself being reminded over and over again that those three years did indeed happen.

Alana turned to walk out of the house and almost stumbled walking down the few steps that led to the large backyard where lanterns and lights were hung through the trees. People were all lounging around and a few girls spotted Alana walking past them and giggled. Alana stopped dead in her tracks and turned around to face them.

"Do you have something to say?" Alana asked them, catching them by surprise. She knew both of them from high school, and she also knew that the brunette one, Grace Newland, had a nose job her freshman year and begged Alana not to tell when she overheard in the bathroom.

"Well, is it true?" Grace said over the loud music playing.

"Is, what true?" Alana asked back.

"That you skipped town because Leo Cronin told everyone your secret that you had HIV?" Alana's jaw dropped as she stared at Grace, who had a small smirk on her face. "I mean, if I were him, I'd be a little freaked out having you around me anyways, so he did the right thing."

Grace giggled, and Alana just walked away with her hands balled into fists, not even answering her. Now whatever anger she felt before had escalated even more as she walked through the people trying to find the one boy she couldn't stand more than anyone: Leo fucking Cronin.

She chugged the rest of the alcohol that was in her cup and finally saw him sitting in a corner with a girl Alana barely recognized with bleach blonde hair and humongous eyes. They both looked over Alana as she stumbled in front of them.

"Woah there," Leo said and stood up to grab Alana's arms to keep her steady. She immediately yanked them away and then punched him hard in the shoulder. "Ow, what the hell, Lan!?"

"You told people that I left town because I had HIV?!" Alana exclaimed, a few people in the party turned their heads. "Why would you spread a lie like that! Why would you do that?"

"What are you talking about?" Leo asked. The blonde girl backed up a little bit and Alana shot her a dirty look.

"So you thought that since you were angry that I left, that you'd spread a disgusting rumor about me?" Alana asked.

"Alana, do you realize what you're saying?" Leo said under his voice as more people began to stare. "Where did you even hear this? This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"Bullshit! I wouldn't put this kind of thing past you!" Alana drunkenly yelled. She knew she was causing a scene, and she knew that she was slightly making a fool of herself, but she didn't care, because none of these people liked her anyways, this could just be another thing they could talk about behind her back.

Leo didn't respond to her, but instead reached forward and grabbed Alana's arm to lead her away from the people, who were now all staring at the two of them. She stumbled behind him as he took long, quick strides from the backyard to the front of the house where no one was.

"Let go of my arm!" Alana exclaimed as he continued to lead her a little further down the street to make sure that they weren't around anymore people for her to humiliate herself in front of. Alana yanked her arm from his grasp and pushed him.

"You're so drunk, it's unbelievable," Leo said as he ran his hands over his face. "You don't even know what you're talking about. Do you just realize that you probably just spread the rumor that you have HIV tonight by basically shouting it for the whole world to hear?"

"I don't care," Alana spat, her hands clutched in fists at Leo. She had no idea where this anger toward him was coming from, it was probably 11 years of pent up aggression she had toward him, the continuous teasing and lying, the complete disregard he always had for her feelings, no matter how much older they got and how much she changed herself for him.

"Well you obviously do because you just accused me of spreading a malicious rumor I never spread."

"But Grace said-"

"Grace? Grace Newland? Dude that girl still lives with her parents and doesn't have a job, she'll do anything for entertainment," Leo retorted and threw his hands in the air. "And she obviously got her wish! Jesus, Alana."

There was silence for a few moments and Alana awkwardly kicked her foot against the gravel.

"I just thought-"

"You just thought that I was the kind of person to spread rumors about you like every other person from our goddamn school," Leo spat.

"Well it's not that far-fetched to believe, Leo," Alana said but quickly regretted it when she saw Leo's face. "Well, I mean come on, you condemned at me at my own father's funeral and then tried to injure me on Weezer's boat. Why wouldn't I believe you spread some words about me around town?"

"Screw you, Alana Bennett," Leo seethed and both of their eyes locked.

"You're just mad because I'm right!" Alana yelled back. "I don't doubt that you joined in on all the 'Alana skipped town' talk and put in a few words of your own. We all know that it doesn't end until Leo has something to say about it."

"You seriously still think that I spread that rumor!?" Leo replied, his voice loud and booming over the quiet air. A sharp gust of wind rustled through the trees and there was so much tension between the two of them that Alana could feel herself holding her breath.

And suddenly, before she could even recollect what was happening, Leo stepped forward and grabbed Alana's face and pulled her to him, where his lips crashed onto hers with pure urgency and frustration. He pressed his mouth harder against hers and opened his mouth to deepen the kiss as Alana stood, shocked. He then pulled back even quicker than he had stepped forward, causing Alana to stumble backward, almost losing her balance.

"I guess we can cross the last task off the list," Leo spat. "Because I don't even know who you are anymore."

Leo then walked forward and bumped his shoulder into Alana's as he made his way back to the party, leaving her standing alone on the road.